PWS_ED-ESE-14-R-0031_Revised_8.6.14.pdf

Version: August 6, 2014

Performance Work Statement (PWS) National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth

U.S. Department of Education (Department)

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)

Abbreviations Consolidated State Performance Reports (CSPR) Contracting Officer Representative (COR) Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Federal Information Publishing Standards (FIPS) Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Local Education Agency (LEA) National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) National Association of State Title I Directors (NASTID) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) National Security Agency (NSA) Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs (SASA) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) State Education Agency (SEA) Security Technical Implementation Guidelines (STIGS) Technical Assistance (TA) United States Code (U.S.C.)

U.S. Department of Education (Department)

I. Background

Title VII, Part B (Education for Homeless Children and Youth) program of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is housed within the Office of Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs (SASA), within the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). SASA’s mission is to help States and local education agencies (LEAs) meet the education needs of low-achieving children in the nation’s highest poverty public schools. SASA administers grants that fall into two categories: 1) formula grants, which provide funds to states, LEAs and other entities based on census data, and 2) competitive grants, which allow States, school districts or other entities to compete for federal funds.

The SASA Program office activities include but are not limited to four groups: Policy & Coordination, Standards & Assessments, Technical Assistance & Monitoring, and Title III. The Policy & Coordination Group is responsible for coordinating and developing policy guidance to clarify and implement the President's education policies as they relate to Title I programs administered by SASA. The Standards, Assessments, and Accountability Group is responsible for ensuring that States develop the academic standards and student assessment and accountability systems required by Title I to hold LEAs and schools accountable for the academic progress of their students. The Technical Assistance and Monitoring Group is responsible for providing integrated technical assistance and monitoring at the State and local level that focuses on the effective use of Title I and McKinney-Vento resources to improve classroom instruction and educationally-related support services for at-risk children. The Title III State Formula Grants Group is responsible for the administration of the Title III State formula grant program. SASA Program office activities are subject to change as a result of organizational changes, Departmental priorities, reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and activities are contingent upon the approved budget.

II. Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this procurement is to obtain administrative, logistical, and technical support in improving educational opportunities and outcomes for children and youth experiencing homelessness in our nation’s school communities. This outcome will be achieved by (1) disseminating information about effective programs and practices related to the issues surrounding the education of children and youth in homeless situations, (2) fostering collaboration among various organizations with interests in addressing the education of homeless children in order to promote local awareness of homeless issues, (3) fostering greater understanding of and compliance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and (4) assisting the Department with data collection and analyses.

This procurement will ensure that State education agencies (SEAs) and LEAs have access to training, technical assistance, and resources to improve the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. This procurement will include planning and hosting an annual State coordinators meeting, conducting several training sessions (online, onsite), and producing and disseminating technical documents (topical briefs, fact sheets, posters, etc) to educators, administrators, State coordinators and homeless liaisons. This procurement is also needed to provide administrative and logistical support in planning and preparing for annual national meetings on current issues faced with the education of homeless children and youth.

Additionally, this procurement will provide administrative and logistical support in assisting the Department with new inter-agency initiatives involving the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program.

Ultimately, this procurement seeks to bring awareness of the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness afforded to them under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as well as to disseminating good practices for program implementation and coordination with other homeless child and youth-serving agencies, organizations and programs.

III. Legislative Authority

42 U.S.C. § 11431 Title VII, Part B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Section 724(b) “Technical Assistance under “Secretarial Responsibilities” states that “the Secretary shall provide support and technical assistance to a State educational agency to assist such agency in carrying out its responsibilities under this subtitle, if requested by the State educational agency.”

Furthermore, Section 724(d), “Evaluation and Dissemination” states that “the Secretary shall conduct evaluation and dissemination activities of programs designed to meet the educational needs of homeless elementary and secondary school students, and may use funds appropriated under section 726 to conduct such activities.”

IV. Scope of Work and Period of Performance

The scope of this procurement is to obtain administrative, logistical and technical support for the SASA Program Office in an effort to bolster efforts around the education of homeless children and youth. The contractor is required to provide the services described in Section VI – Specific Tasks (see below) of this Performance Work Statement. All tasks are to be interpreted with reference to the information provided in the Background and Purpose and Objectives sections, above. The contractor shall work in coordination with the Contracting Officer’s Representative and SASA Program Office, especially during the development phase of all tasks, and the COR will be involved in the review of all deliverables.

The period of performance for this requirement will be a 12-month base period with four, 12-month option periods, which will be exercised at Department’s discretion and subject to the availability of funds.

V. Scope of Work

SPECIFIC TASKS (Base Year and if Exercised, Option Years 1-4)

NOTE: All tasks identified as “Optional” may be exercised at the Department’s discretion.

Tasks without the “Optional” identification are assumed to be required.

Task 1 Contract startup and annual planning meeting to review and plan technical assistance and dissemination needs

Subtask 1.a. Annual planning meeting to review and plan technical assistance and dissemination needs

Within 20 business days of the contract award or every new contract option year, the Contractor shall meet with the COR and Department staff to review the Contractor’s activities and plan to clarify expectations, establish communication protocols, identify report formats (to include written evidence of its level of performance on key deliverables), and discuss any needed revisions to the proposed technical plan. An agenda and draft documents for this meeting shall be sent to the COR within five business days of this meeting. Within 10 business days after this meeting, the Contractor shall prepare and submit to the COR a revised technical plan that includes revised timelines, staffing chart, and deliverables list.

For the base year only and only if applicable, the COR shall meet with the former Contractor and arrange to transfer materials previously developed under the preceding task order contract to the new contractor. This shall include all materials identified by the COR that were developed under contract and are the property of the Department. This list of Government Furnished Information (GFI) is provided as an attachment to the PWS. The COR will provide the Contractor a list of items to be transferred at the initial management meeting, which should match the GFI listed in the PWS attachment. The Contractor shall send an e-mail to the COR confirming whether they have or have not received all listed GFI to the COR four weeks after the initial management meeting. If all GFI has not been received by the Contractor by the specified due date, the COR shall provide communication indicating a revised estimated delivery date to the Contractor.

Subtask 1.b. Communication requirements and meeting notes

Determinations of national and area meeting dates, topics for symposia and publications, and other major decisions shall be made in consultation with the COR and input from Department officials. Draft reports, materials and documents are subject to review by the COR. If needed, the Contractor shall make revisions in no more than one week from input provided by the COR unless additional time is discussed and agreed upon by the COR. Copies of all final publications shall be provided directly to the COR.

The Contractor shall conduct bi-weekly conference calls with the COR to discuss progress and, within three (3) business days of each call, shall prepare and submit brief “meeting notes” to summarize action steps. This may be an electronic summary.

The Contractor shall submit a monthly management report of not more than seven pages including appendices, updating the COR on the status of each task, identified problems, or concerns. Each monthly report shall be submitted so that it is received by the COR no later than the 10th of the following month. The last such monthly report within a given fiscal year shall be considered the final report. This report shall be submitted electronically.

On a quarterly basis, the Contractor shall provide written evidence of its level of performance on each of the key tasks as part of that month’s monthly report.

Task 2. Plan and prepare an annual national meeting on homeless education

The Contractor shall provide administrative, logistical, and technical support in convening, planning, and managing a three-day annual national meeting for State coordinators and national organizations at a time agreeable to the COR and in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The national meeting will provide an opportunity for State coordinators, the Department, other Federal agencies, and national organizations to discuss critical issues of policy and practice.

Participants may be invited to join panel presentations or give short presentations. The Department estimates that 60-75 individuals will be in attendance for the meeting. The presenters will not be considered keynote speakers and will not be paid an honorarium or have their travel reimbursed. One half or one full day of the meeting can be targeted as an orientation for State coordinators who have been in the position for less than one year. The Contractor shall not be responsible for costs associated with travel or accommodations by SEA attendees. No meals are to be provided for participants but the Contractor may coordinate meal delivery or arrangements for them. The meeting space will be determined in consultation with the COR. It is anticipated that the meetings will be held at a non-Department site, pending internal approval for an off-site meeting waiver submitted by the COR each year. For meetings approved for an off-site waiver by the Department officials, the Contractor will be responsible for all meeting room and technology costs.

Subtask 2.a. Pre-Meeting Services

The Contractor shall perform the following pre-meeting activities and report on the status of each activity during phone calls.

Subtask 2.a(i). Meeting Timeline, Themes, Taglines and Logos

The Contractor shall provide administrative support in facilitating teleconference calls and provide dial in options and setup for meetings. The Contractor shall prepare the meeting agendas in consultation with input from the COR. The Contractor shall prepare a working timeline that lays out the entire meeting from conception to completion. The timeline shall include all of the work that the Contractor must perform along with the work that EHCY program office is responsible for. The timeline will have a description of the item along with a proposed due date.

The Contractor will work with the COR to update and keep current with the timeline.

The Contractor shall develop several themes, tag lines and logos for the meeting. The Contractor can use the notes taken from any planning meetings or solicit input from SASA staff to develop these items.

Subtask 2.a(ii). Invitations and Confirmations

The Contractor shall prepare and distribute invitations letters to invitees/attendees. The format for these materials may be a letter, brochure, or general advertisement via e-mail. The Contractor shall produce and mail pre-meeting materials as needed. Such materials may include a meeting Web site, meeting packets for each participant that will include a final agenda, evaluation form, a list of meeting participants, as well as other meeting materials; and produce nametags for each participant, name tents when appropriate, staff and presenter ribbons, as well as a meeting banner for the registration desk.

The Contractor shall ensure that all materials are shipped to the hotel. The COR will review these materials no later than five business days prior to their distribution. The Contractor shall have the capability to register participants online and to provide the COR with updates on the number of participants.

Subtask 2.a(iii). Lodging and Meeting Room Arrangements

The Contractor shall also secure a room block at a hotel for approximately 60 meeting participants. For meetings held at an off-site hotel, the Contractor shall secure a room block located at the same hotel as the meeting. The Contractor shall arrange for meeting space based on the requirements and the purpose of each activity. The Department anticipates two or three breakout rooms in addition to a plenary session meeting room. The plenary session meeting room shall accommodate all participants and the smaller breakout rooms shall accommodate at least one-third of the total participants for each session. These arrangements shall be made in conjunction with the booking of the hotel.

Subtask 2.a(iv). Invitational Travel for Keynote Speakers

The contractor is permitted to arrange for transportation, accommodation and honoraria for up to five national experts in topics pertaining to the education of homeless children and youth to deliver keynote addresses and/or to prepare and lead concurrent sessions at the annual national conference. The honorarium shall be $500 per individual.

Subtask 2.a(v). Audiovisual Support

The Contractor shall arrange for all audiovisual equipment that may be required by all the speakers. The Contractor shall coordinate audiovisual requirements with the speakers. These costs shall be billed to the Contractor. Audio visual equipment may include but are not limited to flip charts and markers, index cards, laptops, LCD Projectors, screens, and microphones.

Audio visual equipment shall be made available for all breakout rooms.

Subtask 2.a(vi). Graphics

The Contractor shall produce graphics, PowerPoint presentations, charts and PowerPoint slides related to the meeting. The need for graphics will be specified by the COR and become part of the deliverables to COR, at the completion of the meeting. All presentation slides and handouts shall be submitted to the COR for review seven business days before the meeting and any required revisions submitted three business days before the meeting.

Subtask 2.b On-site Support for Meeting

The Contractor shall perform the following services while on site at the meeting. On-site support shall not exceed four days for the annual national meeting.

Subtask 2.b(i). Registration

The Contractor shall provide staff to conduct registration and distribution of meeting materials on-site.

Subtask 2.b(ii). Speaker Assistance

The Contractor shall provide on-site assistance services to speakers and other individuals as required. This service shall include speaker confirmation, coordinating the speaker’s room and presentation time, and audiovisual, etc.

Subtask 2.b(iii). Room Monitoring

The Contractor shall provide logistical support for the onsite meeting including the operation of audiovisual equipment as required. This shall include audiovisual setup, coordinating room lighting and temperature with the hotel facilities personnel, placement of meeting materials in the specific room, and any other form of logistical support needed for the purposes of the meeting.

Subtask 2.b(iv). Administrative Support

The Contractor shall provide administrative support, including but not limited to photocopying, message/note taking, and completion of packets containing meeting materials.

Subtask 2.c. Post-Meeting Services The Contractor shall perform these services following the conclusion of the meeting:

Subtask 2.c(i). Thank-You Letters

The Contractor shall provide administrative support in sending thank-you letters to participants and/or speakers as requested within 10 business days following the meeting. The Contractor shall submit any thank you letters to the COR within seven calendar days after the conclusion of the meeting.

Subtask 2.c(ii). Evaluation Report

The Contractor shall provide administrative support in preparing the meeting evaluation forms.

These forms will be included in the meeting package. The Contractor shall provide a final report of all evaluation forms and comments received regarding the meeting. The final report shall, include statistics collected from the evaluation as well as written comments by the participants.

The final report shall not exceed 20 pages in length. The evaluation forms will be reviewed by the COR following the meeting and prior to the Contractor preparing a final report.

Subtask2c(iii). Copies of Materials, Handouts and Presentations

The Contractor shall collect copies of all materials provided to participants as well as keep copies of presentations and handouts. The Contractor shall then make these items available to all participants through either digital or physical distribution.

Task 3. Develop and disseminate public awareness materials

The Contractor shall develop and disseminate the following public awareness materials—20,000 bi-fold two-page booklets in English and Spanish for parents experiencing homelessness that describe their rights with regard to education for children and youth and 20,000 student school records folders for parents to store school-related records. The Contractor shall also produce and disseminate approximately 50,000 each of two kinds of posters in English and 25,000 each of two kinds of posters in Spanish: Parents’ Rights Posters and Unaccompanied Youths’ Rights Posters on 8.5” by 11” thick glossy paper. Because this number exceeds the 25,000 threshold, the contractor must use Government Printing Office (GPO)-approved printers. The contractor shall produce a printing run of these materials, at the numbers specified above, once per year.

Templates will be provided by the COR. All of the materials shall include the hotline phone number identified in Task 7. The Contractor may recommend to the Department developing and disseminating additional materials that will assist with public awareness of the challenges for homeless students. The COR will review draft and final copies of materials and provide ongoing feedback to the Contractor. If the COR requests a modification to the template they have previously provided to the contractor, then a draft of a revised template shall be due to the COR no later than five business days after the COR request. The COR will provide their revisions back to the contractor by no later than five business days.

Printing of publications shall be arranged through the Government Printing Office (GPO) as generally required (any job more than 25,000 in the aggregate or more than 5,000 imprints of a single sheet). The Contractor shall prepare materials for any document produced under this requirement that is to be printed by GPO. Additional regulations regarding printing are contained in the contract clauses.

Task 4. Establish and maintain the NCHE website

The contractor shall comply with Federal and Departmental requirements and guidelines for information technology and privacy protection indicated in Sections VI and VII, respectively, for this task.

The Contractor shall establish and maintain a website of information related to the education of homeless children and youth. The website shall include publications and other documents, announcements of events, State contacts for homeless education, State-level performance data, State and local resources, and links to information on homelessness found on the web sites of partner organizations (as identified in Subtask 8a and 9), information for State Coordinators and LEA liaisons, information on the toll-free help line (see Task 7). The website shall be operational within 60 business days of the award and the site shall be updated in consultation with the COR. A list of documents or links to upload to the website shall be submitted to the COR at least five days prior to their expected upload.

In operating the website the Contractor shall review all Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Information Technology guidelines including Section 508 accessibility guidelines. The website shall be in compliance with the aforementioned guidelines as they apply to the use of electronic technology developed on behalf of the Department. The Contractor shall comply with the Department’s policies and guidelines on physical, personnel, and information technology security. The Contractor shall provide administrative support in posting materials on the website to inform TA needs around the topic of education for homeless children and youth. This will include handouts, webinar materials, recordings, and state specific data pages. The website shall carry a disclaimer that the website’s contents do not necessarily reflect the policies of the Department or implies endorsement by the U.S. Government. The website shall meet requirements within 60 business days of the award.

Task 5. Establish venues for on-line networking and professional development

Subtask 5.a. Establish and maintain a listserv

The Contractor shall provide administrative support in establishing and maintaining a listserv within 30 business days of the award. The purpose of this listserv is to foster communication among educators, advocates, and service providers for homeless children and youth and to provide a forum for discussion of ideas, as well as communicate timely information. The content of the listserv will be confirmed in consultation with the COR.

Subtask 5.b. Develop and deliver webinars

The Contractor shall develop 10 new webinars and offer 30 recurring webinars during the contract year, or approximately one webinar per week for 10 months per year. These webinars can be on recurring topics such as the fundamental requirements of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and local liaison duties, or special topics for targeted audiences, for example, but not limited to, States and districts that coordinate with certain local Federal agency grantees, such as Head Start or Runaway and Homeless Youth programs that serve homeless children and youth. The purpose of the webinars is to provide topical, up-to-date information in support of homeless children, youth and families. The Contractor will regularly update registration links and recordings of past webinars on its website, announcing the next two months of scheduled webinars at the start of every month or whenever the webinar is open for registration, whichever is earlier. This list of scheduled webinars for the next three months shall be included in the monthly reports submitted to the COR.

i. The number of new webinars developed per year shall not exceed 10. New webinars are defined as material that has not been previously presented, and may include updates of past webinars, and/or recorded versions on topics from past webinars. At least two of these new webinars will concern program office updates for State Coordinators and annual performance reporting and shall be prepared directly with the COR and program officers. Some new webinars may be developed in collaboration with staff from organizations mentioned in subtask 5.c. or otherwise approved by the COR. For other new webinars, a final draft of the slides shall be submitted to the COR at least ten business days before the webinar and any revised slides at least three business days before the webinar.

ii. The other webinars may be repeated broadcasts of webinars intended for different audiences of local liaisons, State Coordinators and other homeless educators. The number of times a webinar may be repeated during a contract year is not limited for popular webinars or topics in high demand but in general about three repeated webinars will be broadcasted per month. Already approved slides do not have to be submitted to the COR in advance of the webinar but any revisions to the slides shall be submitted to the COR for review and approval at least three business days before the webinar.

iii. All webinars, new or old, shall request participants to complete an evaluation survey, which shall be summarized and delivered to the COR as part of the monthly report.

Survey evaluation data for all webinars, new and old, live and recorded, shall be summarized in the annual evaluation report due at the end of the contract year (see Task 14).

Subtask 5.c. Establish and facilitate ad hoc advisory working groups comprised of the Federal program office, national organizations, State coordinators, and local liaisons

The Contractor, in consultation with the COR, will provide logistical support in convening regular meetings by teleconference or webinar, establish an agenda and time for the meeting, and conduct follow up tasks as needed to prepare for the next call or webinar. The exact meeting schedule and frequency of the meetings will be developed in consultation with input from the COR, but the number of meetings under this sub-task shall not exceed a total of eight instances.

Working group members may include NLCHP, NAEHCY, selected State Coordinators and local liaisons, staff from other Federal government agencies, Department staff and others designated by the COR. The working group shall review ongoing national trends and issues important to various topics concerning the education of homeless children and youth and recommend activities and strategies to support SEAs and LEAs in implementing the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

Task 6. Provide phone and on-line technical assistance through a toll-free phone line and e-mail

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in establishing, operating and providing phone and on-line technical assistance through a toll-free phone line and e-mail on resources for homeless families, children and youth. This hotline should also provide emergency information assistance information to homeless persons, in crisis. In the past, approximately 3,000 technical assistance requests have been received per year or 200-300 per month, with some months having more demand because more students are enrolling or being identified as homeless, such as at the start of the school year or before or after school breaks. The Contractor shall respond to each request in an accurate, thorough, and timely manner; mail products and information as requested; provide on-line searches for requested topics; and make appropriate referrals to other agencies and organizations. Timely manner in this task is defined as acknowledgement of the request in no more than two business days from receipt and an initial response in no more than five business days from receipt. Follow-up responses may take longer but in general should take no more than five business days from receipt of follow-up requests or offers for technical assistance. The Contractor shall publicize the helpline in all products and at all meetings and conferences. The toll-free line shall be operational within 20 business days of the award.

Task 7. Establish and support organizational collaborations and agency partnerships

Subtask 7.a. Establish organizational collaborations in annual memorandum

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in identifying organizations for collaborative partnerships and communicate regularly with them regarding emerging issues, serve on task forces or ad hoc committees, and participate in planning meetings. The Contractor shall participate in the planning of joint trainings or conference presentations. After receiving approval by the COR regarding the participating organizations and the general plans for collaboration, the Contractor shall submit a memo to the COR confirming these arrangements.

This memo shall be updated annually. The Contractor must establish links to these partner websites and request them to link to the established website. This annual memo shall be submitted within 30 business days of the award and the start of each new period of performance.

Possible national organizations to collaborate and partner with may include, but are not limited to the NCLHP, Institute of Childhood Poverty and Homelessness, the National Center for Family Homelessness, and the American Bar Association Legal Center on Foster Care and Education.

Subtask 7.b. Support program office in Federal, State and local inter-agency partnerships

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in preparing EHCY-related program profiles, technical assistance or homeless education research summaries of no more than three pages to support the work of the Department and EHCY program office in inter-agency workgroups sponsored by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. A draft shall be delivered at least 10 business days before the requested deadline. The number of summaries will be limited to five per contract year and deadlines will be negotiated with the COR. As part of the research for these deliverables, the contractor may be requested to convene ad hoc conference calls with State and local homeless education contacts and their counterparts at agencies serving homeless children and youth as part of the research for these deliverables. For these calls, the Contractor may be asked to host and facilitate the call and provide notes to the COR afterwards.

Task 8. Collect, publish, and disseminate information about effective and promising practices

Subtask 8.a. New publications

The Contractor shall annually publish one research summary and five other publications for State and school district personnel and others working with homeless students. These publications shall address effective and promising practices around topic areas as determined in consultation with the COR. They may also be co-authored with staff from organizations mentioned in subtask 5.c. or otherwise approved by the COR. Publications should include such components as an overview of the issue, fact sheets that can be used as handouts, and descriptions of model programs and effective practices. Typically, they are no more than 15 pages and no fewer than seven pages except for the research summary which is usually between 20 and 30 pages. One publication shall be delivered within two months of the award, and the additional publications shall be delivered in accordance with the Schedule of Deliverables. All publications under this Subtask shall be in electronic format. The COR and/or the Department subject matter experts will determine within ten business days of receipt if the product should have an agency or inter-agency review. In either case, the COR will inform the Contractor within 30 days from delivery about the status of the review and approval process, but may request further revisions until the end of the contract year. Final decisions regarding what products will be approved/disapproved will be determined in consultation with input from the COR.

Subtask 8.b. Revise and reformat the NCHE handbooks and related briefs (Optional)

The Contractor shall revise past handbooks that have previously been used for State Homeless coordinators and local liaisons after the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as appropriate, during the contract year of its enactment and the following contract year. The number of updates to written TA products shall be limited to 20 per contract year in consultation with the COR, including reasonable deadlines for submitting the updates.

The Contractor may recommend modifying the format of any of the materials that need updating.

For example, different chapters or sections of these handbooks can be hyperlinked and made available for downloading separately.

Task 9. Conference and workshop presentations, and on-site training and professional development (With Optional Subtasks)

The Contractor shall increase attention to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness by presenting at conferences and workshops, disseminating information, and displaying materials at national conferences each year. At a minimum, the Contractor will present 14 times for each year of the contract. A typical presentation will run about one to one-and-a-half hours with 30 -40 slides, but the COR will advise the Contractor if substantive changes to the length or format of a presentation should be considered for a particular event. A draft of any presentation materials should be sent to the COR for review no later than 10 business days prior to each event.

Subtask 9.a. Presenting with Department staff at Department-sponsored conferences/meetings

These requests are infrequent but every year at least one program office in the Department invites the EHCY program office to present on the program and inter-agency coordination of services for homeless children and youth. The Contractor shall be asked to prepare conference meeting materials and co-present at least one of these presentations. If other presentations are requested, much of the same material can be reused. Each year of the contract will assume 2 presentations.

Subtask 9.a(i) Additional Subtask 9.a Presentations (Optional)

If the COR requests additional presentations of those identified under Subtask 9.a, additional meetings shall be exercised under this subtask in single increments. Multiple increments of the presentation can be exercised during a single modification, but the total number of presentations for a period of performance shall not exceed 7 total presentations.

Subtask 9.b. Assisting in the planning of the annual NAEHCY conference

The Contractor shall provide administrative, logistical, and technical support by proposing at least 5 presentations of interest to a more general homeless education audience and delivering them if accepted by the conference committee. The Contractor shall assist NAEHCY with the logistics of setting up the review of presentation proposals, preparing the final conference agenda, coordinating presentation rooms and other related logistics discussed in consultation with the COR. Costs associated with travel for on-site staff and shipment of materials shall be incurred by the Contractor. Each year the contract will assume 5 presentations.

Subtask 9.b(i) Additional Subtask 9.b presentations (Optional)

If the COR requests additional presentations of those identified under Subtask 9.b, additional meetings shall be exercised under this subtask in single increments. Multiple increments of the presentation can be exercised during a single modification, but the total number of presentations for a period of performance shall not exceed 10 total presentations.

Subtask 9.c. Presenting on homeless education themes at the National Title I conference or other national conferences that address the education of homeless children and youth

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in presenting workshops at other national conferences. The program office is often invited to present at the National Title I conference through a direct invitation of SASA made by the National Association of State Title I Directors (NASTID). Decisions regarding which conferences the Contractor will participate in will be discussed in consultation with the COR. Costs associated with travel and lodging for approved conferences shall be incurred by the Contractor. Each year of the contract will assume 2 presentations.

Subtask 9.c(i) Additional Subtask 9.c Presentations (Optional)

If the COR requests additional presentations of those identified under Subtask 9.c, additional meetings shall be exercised under this subtask in single increments. Multiple increments of the presentation can be exercised during a single modification, but the total number of presentations for a period of performance shall not exceed 7 total presentations.

Subtask 9.d. Presenting at regional and State conferences

Additional presentations at State and/or regional conferences at the request of State Coordinators shall be permitted with COR approval. Costs associated with travel and lodging of the Contractor shall be covered by the inviting State but staff time and effort may be charged to the contract.

Depending on the year, NCHE has sent staff to 5-10 of these State and regional conferences on homeless education. For each presentation, the Contractor shall inform the COR at least 20 business days prior to the presentation and submit materials to the COR for review and discussion, at least 10 business days before the conference. Each year of the contract will assume 5 presentations.

Subtask 9.d(i) Additional Subtask 9.d Presentations (Optional)

If the COR requests additional presentations of those identified under Subtask 9.d, additional meetings shall be exercised under this subtask in single increments. Multiple increments of the presentation can be exercised during a single modification, but the total number of presentations for a period of performance shall not exceed 10 total presentations.

Task 10. Assist states with Federal data collection, establish databases and develop reports from Federal homeless education data

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in assisting States with data collection methods that are developed in consultation with input from the Department. The

Contractor shall comply with Federal and Departmental requirements and guidelines for information technology and privacy protection indicated in Sections VI and VII, respectively.

The following three Subtasks will be performed every year and include the performance data at the State and LEA level for the most recent reporting year available. For the base year, data from school year (SY) 2013-2014 will be added to the longitudinal database of CSPR data developed by NCHE. Since the EDFacts LEA level database will be a new requirement with this contract, the Department will ask for SY 2012-2013 data analyses in the first 60 days of the contract and expect a longitudinal data base to combine SY 2012-2013 and SY 2013-2014 LEA level data by 20 business days before the end of the award period. In consultation with the COR, the Contractor shall either add past years of LEA level data going back to SY 2010-2011 or produce some longitudinal charts for States using the SY 2012-2013 and SY 2013-2014 data.

Option year data for this contract:

1. SY 2014-2015

2. SY 2015-2016

3. SY 2016-2017

4. SY 2017-2018

Subtask 10.a. Provide annual updates to Federal data collection guides

The Contractor shall annually revise and update the NCHE guides to the CSPR and EDFacts submissions for homeless education programs. The updated guide for EHCY Federal data collection must be released before the next reporting year begins in July. At least one webinar referencing this revised guide shall also be delivered before the data for that reporting year are submitted to the Department. Draft slides for the webinar shall be submitted to the COR at least 10 business days before the webinar. The COR will review and approve the content of the webinars, request any further revisions, as needed and the final slides will be submitted by the Contractor three business days before the scheduled webinar.

Task 10.b. Develop and maintain a national database of EHCY data and prepare public reports on this data

The Contractor shall develop and operate a database to organize and report on information submitted by SEAs and LEAs to the Department. These data will be reported in national summary form as well as in separate reports by State, including longitudinal trends, on NCHE’s website, following the template established on http://center.serve.org/nche/states/state_resources.php. In consultation with the COR, the Contractor may propose modifications to the on-line and other public reporting formats. The LEA level data shall be provided in an Excel workbook form to every State Coordinator for their State and as a whole set for the Department. In the base year, the Contractor will deliver the workbooks of SY 2012-2013 LEA level data by December 1, 2014. For each option year, the Contractor shall deliver the workbooks within 40 business days of the start of the period of performance. The Contractor shall then continue to develop a longitudinal data base of LEA level data by adding in SY 2013-2014 data within the first nine months of the award. After piloting draft manuals for using these EDFacts data, NCHE also will deliver a final TA product for using these workbooks annually and longitudinally within 20 business days before the end of the award period. The COR may also request that the longitudinal database include past years of EDFacts LEA level data but only back to SY 2010-2011 and SY 2011-2012.

Task 10.c. Assist the Department in other EHCY data-related tasks

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in conducting data analyses as required by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). For example, the Contractor will work in consultation with the COR and Department staff to review and verify preliminary data submissions. The Contractor will verify the CSPR data after they are submitted to the Department, before comments on data quality are due to States, and check any corrections after recertification of the CSPR. The Contractor will also check the LEA and SEA level EDFacts data quality as part of the analysis of CSPR data quality. Finally, the Contractor will calculate not only the GPRA measures but any leading indicators for the program for which there are available data. The GPRA measures will be delivered to the COR within nine months of the award and the leading indicator data within eleven months of the award.

Task 11. Provide logistical, administrative and technical support for monitoring and technical assistance activities

The Contractor shall provide administrative, logistical and/or technical support for monitoring and technical assistance activities determined in consultation with the COR. Some of these services will be provided remotely by telephone or joining teleconference calls. There shall be no more than twelve site visits (six visits for program monitoring and six visits for technical assistance activities) involving two staff for two business days during any contract year. For the purposes of this procurement, program monitoring and technical assistance activities will include those related to McKinney-Vento (Homeless Education). Monitoring is the regular and systematic examination of a State’s administration and implementation of a Federal education grant, contract, or cooperative agreement administered by the Department. Program monitoring of the use of Federal funds has long been an essential function of the Department. Section 80.40(e) of Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) also requires the Department to make site visits as warranted by program needs. Monitoring of programs administered by SASA is necessary to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. Monitoring assesses the extent to which States provide leadership and guidance for LEAs and schools in implementing policies and procedures that comply with the statutes and regulations of ESEA. As a result of program monitoring, the Department is able to gather accurate data about State and local needs and use that data to design technical assistance initiatives and national leadership activities.

The Contractor shall provide administrative and technical support in completing monitoring and technical assistance activities. Monitoring activities may include onsite note-taking services for monitoring events, report writing and design and development of monitoring protocols. Final monitoring activities will be confirmed in consultation with input from the COR and are contingent upon on office priorities, approved budgets, and/or reauthorization (where applicable).

The Contractor shall provide technical support and expertise in providing onsite technical assistance support to States. For example, for those States that have previously had multiple and/or recurring findings and/or have been identified by the Department’s risk analysis as needing assistance, the Contractor shall provide more intensive ongoing TA. Findings from Department studies shall by provided by the COR as GFI no later than four weeks after the initial planning meeting, as outlined in Subtask 1.a. TA may include a series of calls and/or onsite visits. There shall be no more than six site visits involving two staff for two business days during any contract year. More general technical assistance related to the Department’s monitoring may be provided by the Contractor to all State coordinators and State educational agencies through webinars in Task 6.b. or reports in Task 9.

Task 12. Develop an extranet site for development and review of State Plans

The contractor shall comply with Federal and Departmental requirements and guidelines for information technology and privacy protection indicated in Sections VI and VII, respectively, in carrying out these subtasks.

Subtask 12.a. Establish a secure extranet website and revised electronic template States may voluntarily update their State Plans on an annual basis with meaningful goals and action steps, for example, but not limited to, improving data quality and coordination with other programs and agencies serving homeless children and youth. Some goals should pertain to leading indicators approved by the Federal program office. The COR will furnish a template for the annual updating of State Plans that may be further modified in consultation with input from the COR. Pending OMB clearance, State coordinators will be invited to do this voluntarily on an annual basis and only staff from that SEA, the Contractor and the Federal program office should be able to view their State Plans on the secure extranet site. This site shall be operational within 90 business days of the contract award. The first year may be considered a pilot project that involves no more than nine States. If successful, the Department would like all States to participate at least once every three years but there should be capacity for all 53 SEAs to update their State Plans annually.

Subtask 12.b. Assist Department with the remote peer review of State Plans (Optional, pending reauthorization)

If or when the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is reauthorized by law, within 12 months immediately following the reauthorization, the Contractor shall assist the Department in developing a State Plan review process, and managing the logistics for the remote review and revision process. These tasks include recruiting up to 20 peer reviewers, providing them with a maximum honorarium of up to $500 per day for their time, and enabling them to review the State plans remotely through a secure web site. The maximum honorarium a peer reviewer shall receive is $2,500. The recruiting of these peer reviewers would occur in the six months immediately following reauthorization and the peer review and revision process would occur in the following six month period.

The management of the remote peer review process will have the following subtasks:

Subtask12.b(i). Review Participant Selection and Communication

Subtask12.b(i)(A). Contact Prospective SASA-approved Review Participants

Within two business days of receiving a list of prospective COR-approved panel moderators and reviewers, the Contractor shall contact the moderators and reviewers on the SASA list to ensure that the selected moderators and reviewers are able to serve in their respective roles. The Contractor shall inform each selected moderator and reviewer about the technical requirements, the time commitment, and the review timelines and ask each participant whether he or she can meet the requirements, commitments, and timelines.

Within three business days of receiving the list of prospective SASA-approved review participants, the Contractor shall provide the…